Keeper of the Flame
by Pandora.Writing
Summary: Toph Bei Fong, now Chief of Police, becomes Azula's keeper while she serves her sentence in a Republic City jail. Forgotten by the rest of the world, Azula welcomes the distraction and in turn becomes confidant and confessor to the blind metal bender. Tophzula Drabbles
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** God damn me and my overactive imagination. I can't stay on the one story for very long. Decided to write a series of little Tophzula drabbles before I jump into writing for Mass Effect.

This is set during their adult years where Toph is Chief of Police and Azula has been moved to a prison in Republic City.

Enjoy.

* * *

**1. I Can Hear You  
**

When the jangle of keys grated against the lock and let the door open with a shriek, Azula smiled. Right on time, as always.

So predictable.

The days may change every so often, but the sound of bare feet slapping against the stone floor never did. It wasn't like the noises the others made; clanging and rattling noisily in their metal armor. She had it down to an art form. But it just wasn't quite stealthy enough to surprise the former Fire Nation Princess.

Azula was always the model of composure when her little visitor came to play.

She'd never tell her that she could hear her long before she could see her, and had ample time to prepare an appropriate greeting to get on the worn out bender's nerves.

"You look tired. Long day?"

"Shut the hell up." Toph rasped.

"What, not calling me names this week? How disappointing." The mocking laugh that slipped from between her lips wasn't in any way troubled by the tight grip of the blind female as she threw her against the wall and settled between her legs.

"You missed me, didn't you." Azula cooed. "Poor baby. I bet you just hate the fact that I can make you feel good."

Toph's only answer was a strained groan as the Fire Princess' nails scraped a searing trail down the back of her neck. She'd never dare let on that she always made sure that she was the only one that had the keys to the jailhouse by week's end.

* * *

**2. Up Against a Rock and a Hard Place**

"Wonderful interrogation tactic. Honestly. Really makes me want to talk...Mm...A little to the left." Azula grunted, her face contorting in a slight wince as the back of her head connected with the wall.

"I wish you wouldn't."

"Trying to forget me already? You know you won't. You haven't been able to keep away from me for more than a month." She chuckled, the sound vibrating against the warm lips at her throat. "You always come back for more. Besides, you have to have something to tell all your little co-workers about why you're down here so often."

The Fire Nation noble soon felt two rough hands sliding down the back of the coarse prison-issue trousers, pulling them down just enough to make it possible to lift her off the ground and wrap her legs around the earth bender's waist.

Toph liked the quiet, and decided then and there that if Azula wasn't going to shut up, then she would make her. At least until she got those claws under her armour and dug them into her flesh, anyway.

There were no pleasantries or formalities in the exchange, and it was hardly gentle.

But then again, neither of them had ever claimed to be so.

* * *

**3. Cold Comforts**

"Well, look who it is! Oh, sorry. That was terribly rude of me. I forgot you can't-"

"Yeah, haha. Real funny, Princess. Spare me the small talk. You know why I'm here."

Azula reached forward and slipped her fingers into the top of the metal cuirass.

The armour was shockingly cold against the heat of Toph's body, but it was nothing in comparison to Azula's tongue as it lathed against the skin of her cheek; frozen and fire, all at once.

* * *

**4. Visiting Hours**

Flaunting visiting hours was just one of the many perks that Toph Bei Fong was afforded as Chief of Police. Not that many people came down that particular wing of Republic City's jailhouse. But still, a little flicker of fear took hold when she heard the scrape and slam of a door in the distance, and heavy footsteps wander down the hall.

"Shhh. Lie still. They won't look in." The voice whispered in her ear, and for once Toph obeyed.

There was no way she could have gotten her armour back on in time, even if she was still mostly dressed.

The metal bender remained as still as she possibly could while draped across the prisoner on the pathetically thin mat she was afforded to sleep on. Each clap of metal boots upon the stones reverberated within her like a drum when she placed her fingertips against the floor to find out just where the officer was.

Maybe it was the fear of getting caught, but everything seemed so much louder and brighter to her senses when she was down here in these mildewy old cells that most people had forgotten.

Azula rocked her hips gently back and forth, a lazy smirk crossing her face as she heard the choking gasp in her ear. Apparently Toph's fingertips weren't the only things that were sensitive to a little bit of pressure.

Being able to mold metal into any shape she wanted, soft or hard, had its advantages, especially when she could feel _through_ it. She figured it could only be a plus that she could make it hit all the right places whenever she wanted.

Daringly, the blind earth bender dug her fingers into the mat and copied the fire bender's movements as the oblivious officer walked by with a whistle, swinging his keys on a finger. The thrust of her hips left Toph silently willing for neither of them to make a sound as Azula's eyes rolled back and her teeth gnawed at her lip. Still, it was with a hint of pride that she buried her face back into the other woman's neck to avoid her catching any glimpses of her own expression.

"Visiting hours are almost over, you know, _Chief_." The Princess whispered teasingly.

"I work overtime."


	2. Chapter 2

**5. Like Toy Soldiers**

Why she keeps coming back to this hellish little prison cell she'd never know. It was like a ritual now. A reward for making it through the nightmarish week or two of ultra long hours filled with idiots, paperwork, and idiots _with_ paperwork. Toph never did like following the rules, and that was probably why. It was just one big jumble of bureaucratic bullshit that she had to sort through.

And this was her reward.

A few sweaty minutes in a stone box, locked away from the world with Fire Nation royalty.

It was pathetic really, how she looked forward to the little bit of stress relief afforded to her. No matter how hard she tried to stay away, she always ended up back here breathless and half-dressed in the arms of the Princess. But Azula's hands were life and fire to be raked across her aching skin. They knew just where to touch to make it feel good, and just where to touch to make it hurt. Those damnable talons may have etched glaring red lines into her flesh a dozen times like a vulture picking at carrion, but it still felt like a relief.

She could return to the earth once more.

But relief never lasted long.

It always ended with her buckling herself back into that restrictive armour, ready to return to the world of pomp and posture as easily as if she had been some toy soldier that had been broken and fixed by the tinker that made it.

Toph sat silently on the edge of the cot that she had created, having decided that if she was starting to feel the cold by being down there then Azula must have been finding it even worse. A small kindness for the favours she had been taking from her. It would keep them both warm.

Dirty fingernails searched blindly for the hidden buckles until another pair of pale, slender fingers joined them. A sharp tug and a creak of leather, and she was sealed back into her cage for the coming week.

Toph promised herself that this would be the last time, but the lips on the back of her neck told her otherwise.

* * *

**6. A New Hairstyle**

Toph never liked it when Azula got particularly _chatty_. It only reminded her of all the things she was trying to forget. So when she got fed up with the scathing commentary, she simply buried one hand in the Princess's hair and yanked her head back until she actually gave a yelp.

"Shut. Up." The police chief growled, still kneeling behind her.

After a few moments of struggling against the vice-like grip that held her down, Azula quickly became acquainted with the fact that the only thing Toph wanted her talking to that night was her pillow.

* * *

**7. In Sickness and In Hell**

Sometimes Toph wonders if she's the only one that remembers that the Princess is even down in the almost empty hallway full of cells.

These old, decrepit relics of the former building had often flooded in the past and had been deemed too unsanitary for most citizens of Republic City to spend their days in. For those people, the new cells of police headquarters were much more fashionable and less of an eyesore. Only the forgotten and the dangerous lurked down here behind rusted bars in what looked like little more than a sewer. These days with some fancy patchwork the cells no longer flooded up to one's knees, but they still weren't the best place to be.

Azula had never complained, but Toph often wondered just how often the jailors came down this far into the cells to deliver meals. More than once the fire bender had been looking a little underfed, but she had just brushed it off due to stress and continued to take what was freely offered to her.

The next time Toph came down to see her it was to find a pale and sweaty girl curled up on her cot, shivering like a bucket of ice water had been dumped on her.

Azula briefly glanced up at the figure looming over her in the darkness when a hand was pressed to her forehead, but she merely gave a few rattling breaths and closed them again with a flicker of eyelashes. The hand felt familiar and warm, but it was quickly taken away as she went back to sleep.

Wiping the sweat off her hand upon her coarse grey trousers, Toph frowned. The girl was feverish, and hardly in any condition to talk, let alone engage in more strenuous activities.

It was the first time in a long while that Toph left that cell without the chance to unwind, and the first time in a long while that she actually brought anyone back with her. But when the water bender did her thing, she was quickly ushered out once more by the frustrated chief who took on board her suggestions for improving the health of her prisoners.

Toph, however, had a few of her own ideas to implement first. That meant tearing all the prison staff a new hole in a vitriolic tirade about human rights and feeding schedules. Most of the staff were surprised to learn that there was even a prisoner still down there, but weren't game enough to protest when Toph informed them that she'd be taking responsibility for delivering some of the prisoner's meals from now on, to make sure that she'd at least get food and medical care once in a while.

It was a complete coincidence that it meant she'd get to go down to the lower cells more often.

* * *

**8. Healing Hands**

With the aid of the water bender, it didn't take as long as it could have for Azula to heal after her brief bout of pneumonia. Toph had checked in on her a couple of times during the first few days and then reluctantly left it to the other officers who were rostered on duty. She couldn't afford to seem too invested in one single prisoner, especially given their history. That would be a little too suspicious.

The next time that she conveniently found herself with the keys to the jailhouse was a late shift. It gave her just enough time to sneak out to the street vendor to grab up some spicy Fire Nation monstrosity that was being sold before scurry back to her office to remove her armour for the time being. She could put it back on when she left. For a while she hid there before taking the foil-wrapped item down as inconspicuously as she could to the cells.

Azula stared at the proffered item which was still steaming and permeating the cell with its aroma. If she didn't know any better, she'd say the metal bender looked almost nervous, waiting for her to take the food from her outstretched hand. Unfortunately her stomach won out over the urge to taunt her. That wasn't to say she wouldn't do so. It just seemed like a better idea to make certain she was going to get fed first.

"Buying me dinner? It's a bit late for that, isn't it?"

Azula grinned as she watched the little muscle in the bender's jaw twitch in agitation. She put the food to the side.

It could wait.

"Come here."

Toph immediately stepped forward and grabbed at Azula's outstretched hand, letting her pull her onto the cot, and on top of her.

"You need me, don't you."

It was a simple statement of fact that the golden-eyed prisoner presented to her when she allowed the calloused hands to go exploring under the ragged, oily prison shirt. Her hands groped blindly and without preamble, but it wasn't until her lips had attached themselves around one nipple that she allowed herself to give a soft murmur. More of a sigh than anything.

Azula decided to take it as a yes to a question that hadn't been asked.

And Toph was gentle.


	3. Chapter 3

**9. An Intimate Sacrifice**

Although Toph couldn't physically see, she could still watch. While it got her out of the drudgery of actually reading paperwork, it still meant that she had to listen to someone read it out. Just like she had to sit and listen and smell and soak in her other senses as she waited. Despite the fact it made absolutely no difference, she liked to close her eyes and pretend that she was somewhere else. Perhaps in the break room listening to one of the other officers eat their lunch.

For whatever reason, Azula insisted on eating whatever meal Toph brought down with her before she'd allow her near her. And she'd do it slowly, picking away at it piece by piece until she was done. It made the police chief incredibly impatient some days, especially when she didn't have a lot of time to waste, but she still sat there anyway.

Azula knew it too.

She knew that every little detail of the silence was being taken in by the earth bender sitting on the stone bench she'd formed by an adjacent wall. Every little twitch of her nose as it caught the aromatic spices and every subtle tilt of her head as her ears caught the sounds of the foil being rustled was recorded by the Fire Princess as a small victory. When she sat up on her mat like that, Toph couldn't see her. She knew where she was and what she was doing, but she couldn't see much more than that with the buffering of the padding between her body and the stone cot.

Every crinkle of foil could be the last one before Toph was allowed to touch her again.

She hated it.

And Azula reveled in it.

The bender could have easily distracted herself by bringing her own lunch down to eat, but that would have made the situation far too intimate. There wasn't anything between them, and there was no use in complicating matters by pretending the other was human. So Toph was content to just sit there and wait, ignoring the little voice that told her that bringing her own lunch would only ruin the flavor.

She'd also chosen to ignore the other little part of her that said she enjoyed feeling the burn of the spices between her legs, long after Azula's tongue had left her skin.

* * *

**10. Always On Top**

Whether it was teaching the Avatar how to earth bend, being the Chief of Police or teaching people how to metal bend, Toph did it because she liked telling others what to do.

Sure, there was a part of herself that was proud when she saw her students accomplish something or someone did as she told them to do, but it was mostly the bossing others around part that really got her. So it was no surprise that she always made sure that she was the one in a position of power when the Crown Princess of the Fire Nation became involved.

Azula could never be allowed to gain such an advantage over a Bei Fong. But the idea certainly made her wonder whether she already had when she allowed the royal to sit straddling her lap.

_Nah._

It just made it easier for those wicked nails to streak down her back and leave another set of bloody trails behind to match the other scars she'd given her.

Just like she wanted her to do.

* * *

**11. Late Night Delights**

"Mommy, how come you smell funny?"

Toph's thumbs pressed against the cheeks of her young daughter, feeling the smooth, innocent expanse of skin that her eyes were not capable of seeing. Lin had welcomed her mother at the door when she had arrived home after a long shift, and had been quickly gathered into a hug. Her question though had not been quite as welcome. The chief avoided looking in the direction of Katara, who had been dubbed babysitter for the night and was now watching the pair. Instead, she chose to take her time with a loving nuzzle of her cheek and a soft kiss.

Toph smiled when a pair of chubby hands came up to touch her own face. She had no clue how the girl knew, but there was always something incredibly relaxing in having the toddler's hands rubbing over her closed eyes. Normally she hated letting anyone near them, but Lin's little fingers knew just how to make her mother smile even when she didn't want to.

"It's been a long day, sweetheart." Toph whispered.

She'd have to be more careful next time, and maybe take a shower in the change rooms before she left for home. She'd been staying back later and later to make sure she was the only one down in those cells at the end of the shift. Katara had already been here for two hours longer than she was supposed to be.

"Why don't you go and get ready for bed now that your mother is home, Lin? I'm sure she'll want to take a shower before bedtime, and I can stay a little bit longer to make sure you don't cause any trouble." Katara playfully suggested, wandering over to take the girl's hand and distract her from the uniformed earth bender.

It wasn't until Lin ran off to her room that Toph stood up. She knew that Katara would recognise the scent of sweat and sex upon her skin. For some unfathomable reason, she felt ashamed of herself.

"I can feel you judging me from here."

The water bender sighed softly.

"Just don't forget you have a family to come home to at night, Toph."

That cutting remark hurt far worse than Azula's words ever did.

* * *

**12. Rehabilitation**

When metal cuffs were clapped around her wrists the next time the chief came to visit, Azula only had one thing to say to her.

"Kinky."

Flashing the blind earth bender a shark-like grin was a useless undertaking as she couldn't see her expression, but it certainly made her feel better about the situation.

There was no response from her captor as she was let out from behind the bars where she had been for the past several years. The thought brought with it a flash of panic before the Princess settled herself into a prideful strut alongside her uniformed companion as they walked up and down the empty hallways. It was the most exercise Azula had in ages, and it felt almost foreign to be walking more than several steps before she hit a wall and had to turn back.

"What exactly are we doing?"

"Taking you for a walk."

"...Why?"

"Rehab."

Each time she came to visit from then on involved the two of them pacing up and down in silence and darkness as no modern lighting had been installed down that far. There came many a time where Azula had to rely solely on Toph's seismic senses to find her way, but she suspected the earth bender knew that by the way she slowed down whenever the Princess moved a little closer. It was a strange feeling to be part of the blind leading the blind, and once she got over her initial worries the inky blackness was almost comforting as long as she stayed close by her guide.

But each time she was led around the corner and made to stand with her hands against the wall while Toph did her thing, she wondered who the rehabilitation was _really_ for.


	4. Chapter 4

**13. Walkabout**

Although it had caused a minor disturbance at first, Toph eventually started taking Azula with her back up to the police station headquarters every now and again during night shifts. The only ones there at that hour were officers, criminals and the very occasional victim giving their statement so it wasn't like the former princess was particularly noticeable in her drab, prison-issued clothing walking alongside the chief. For all anyone else knew, she was just another criminal that had been busted.

It had taken Azula herself a while to get used to the new treatment, especially the lighting after having lived in the dark for so long. And although the two of them rarely spoke to one another she was a more than a little surprised at the cool and restrained ferocity with which Toph shot down any allegations of improper conduct in her treatment of prisoners. After all, how many of them got to go for walks like that? They were supposed to be in their cells.

It had been quickly countered with the question of how many prisoners had to stay down in the lower tiers without access to a decent light source or even a cell size that fit within the relatively humane guidelines set out by the council.

And so Azula was allowed to wander around the well-lit foyer with Toph while her wrists and ankles shackled with anti-bending cuffs. It became a regular sight for the officers at the desk on night duty to see the two of them side-by side, slowly circling around the edge of the room. There were always some extra officers on hand nearby the door and windows in case she ever did try to escape, but their chief always seemed to have the matter under control.

For the most part the pair was ignored until she was handed over to the guy on desk duty when Toph went to get something to eat from the street vendor, but Azula was always glad when it was over and the two of them could sit down on one of the benches. She was surprised when Toph ate with her.

Sometimes though they'd retreat to the chief's office to eat where the Princess lounged on the couch and Toph sat behind her desk as if to reconstruct some kind of barrier between them.

* * *

**14. The Perks of Paperwork**

Some days the shackles came off, and only pair of handcuffs adorned the too-thin wrists of the former Princess. She liked those days, as it meant getting just a little bit more freedom to stretch her legs when she actually sat down on the couch in the office while Toph attempted to do paperwork.

Mostly it just consisted of a whole lot of swearing as she tried to figure out the Braille system that had been (in her opinion) _very_ unhelpfully suggested that she learn so that the plebes that had previously done her paperwork for her could give their voices and hands a rest. If she ever met whoever created it, they would definitely pay for subjecting her to such nonsense.

But her groans and sighs of frustration where halted when the Princess finally got off the couch and literally crawled across her desk, hooking her cuffed hands around behind Toph's head so she couldn't escape.

"Let's eat."

"I already bought you someth-"

"I wasn't talking about dinner."

And with that, the Fire Nation noble leaped into the seated bender's lap; the chair rolling backwards to crash into the wall.

Toph flung an arm back to steady herself at the unexpected movement, catching it on the blinds and nearly tearing it down completely in a great ruckus. At least the groan she made when Azula hungrily kissed her was better and much more well-received than the ones she was making earlier. It didn't take the earth bending police chief long to grab the girl by the backs of her thighs and stand up, only to drop her right back onto the desk and assist her in the removal of unwanted prison trousers.

But the little tryst was interrupted by a knock at the door and Toph was forced to push Azula under the desk and neatly fold her hands in front of her in the picture of perfection when her deputy walked in to deliver another stack of paperwork. The unwavering smile on Toph's face unnerved him enough to leave quickly and not question where the prisoner had disappeared to.

Alone once more, Toph removed her hands from where they were hiding the sticky mess smeared across her desk.

"I don't know how I'm supposed to explain what happened to this when they ask why I need another copy..." she leaned back, holding up the ruined paperwork so that Azula could see it from under the desk.

The Princess just laughed and smoothed her hands along the grey trousers covering Toph's thighs, digging her nails in to make the bender squirm.

"Tell them you never saw it. I'm sure it will be believable."

"I bet I could read the Braille off your ass."

* * *

(Trigger warning applies to this chapter.)

**15. Alive and Kicking**

Not all of the pair's encounters were particularly pleasant and they were even less so when Azula seemed to be doing everything she possibly could to anger the earth bender on top of her. Which at that point was absolutely nothing. All she had to do was lie there with her legs lazily draped open to either side of Toph's waist and not say a word. Not a noise, not a movement. Nothing. Any time an adjustment needed to be made, the chief had to lift her by the legs and do it herself as if she was some kind of rag doll.

The worst part about it was that it was working.

Dressed in only the baggy, sweat-soaked brown tank top and dusty grey trousers she usually wore under her armour, Toph was hardly the image of the unruffled and iron-clad police chief that Republic City knew as its protector. Dirty fingertips clutched at one of Azula's hips, while the other remained tightly gripping the junction of the Princess's shoulder and neck. Red splotches blossomed on the pale skin, darkening almost unnoticeably in the dim light of the cell where bruises were sure to form by morning.

But still she said nothing, choosing to lie there naked and pliant under the woman who hadn't even bothered to remove all of her clothing; just unbuttoned the front of her trousers to make use of the phallus fashioned out of a soft, malleable metal. And she watched as the muscles in Toph's neck and arms twitched and strained with the effort of movement and keeping what little grip she had left of her composure.

The girl was blind.

She couldn't see the arrogant smile etched across her face that remained even when the hand at her shoulder turned to a forearm pressing into her throat that caused her to wheeze when she breathed.

"_Move_. Fucking _move, _damn you! Fight back!" Toph pleaded, her voice no more than a hissing rush of air between the bared teeth of an ugly grimace.

"Do something! _Anything_!"

Hooking the Princess's legs higher around her hips and shuffling up the bed a little allowed her to wrap both of her hands around her neck and squeeze as tightly as she could. But still she grinned and bore it until her face started going red enough to match the sweaty and disheveled earth bender's own.

"Fight me! _Move_! Don't just lay there."

Toph's hands shook, and she let go of Azula's throat so she could gasp for air.

So that they both could.

Finally the royal's hands came up, her pointed nails sliding into the police chief's hair to dig lightly into her scalp as she pulled her close enough to lean in and wet her cheek with her tongue; tasting the salt of tears upon them. An open-mouthed kiss was pressed clumsily against her lips, and to draw her closer still had Toph's resting her sweat-soaked brow upon her chest where it burned like fire against the naked skin beneath it.

"I understand. _Really_, I do."

Azula crooned, honestly and softly in her sing-song manner while she stroked the girl's hair.

And once again she did nothing; pretending to be deaf when Toph's gasping breaths against her shoulder turned into sobs.

* * *

**16. Standing Tall**

After her emotional escapade, Toph had dared to stay a while longer; shivering against Azula's chest as she tried weakly to compose herself. It was strange how much easier it was to cope with being vulnerable in front of an enemy than it was in front of a friend. Perhaps it was because it was to be expected. Enemies were the ones that tore a person down and made them bleed and hurt. It was their job to see them at their worst and a friend's job to see them only at their best until it was too late to do anything about it.

Or maybe it was just because Azula had gone through the same.

She had been built up and torn down and had lain in front of her enemies as a wailing wreck of the prideful woman she once was. They shared that commonality, but Toph was thankful for once to have not seen such a thing. But in knowing what Azula once was, she found herself waiting tensely for the cruel words to be thickly buttered onto her skin like an oily sludge that wouldn't wash away.

She was silent. And Toph questioned why.

"I fell. None of you picked me up, but no one laughed at me either."

The metal bender was silent as she thought on that reasoning. It was true. They had left her to rot in a prison cell, giving her the bare minimum that she needed to regain control of her faculties. Like giving a crutch to a one-legged man lying on the ground and letting him pick himself up. The two benders were similar in that regard, she realized. To proud to accept help unless they had no other option. They'd struggle and strain and wear themselves out before admitting defeat.

"Okay." Toph accepted quietly, her breath leaving her in a rush of warm air against Azula's neck.

The Princess felt the tension leave the earth bender's body, her weight bearing down upon the thinner frame beneath her. For a time there was only silence between the two, and the tickle of eyelashes upon her skin each time Toph blinked. But eventually even that slowed to the soothing rub of taloned fingers on the back of her neck and scalp. It was a dangerous game she was playing at, but the alluring call of oblivion made her powerless to resist.

Azula let Toph sleep for an hour or two before strapping her back into her armoured shell and sending her back home.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** This will be the last chapter for this series of drabbles. Hope you've enjoyed it all!

* * *

**17. Out And About**

Toph didn't quite know when she'd had the crazy idea to actually take Azula away from her little cell and outside the police station. And she had no recollection of why anybody had allowed her to do it. Although she wasn't releasing her from custody it was still considered to be taking an extreme risk. The Princess was one of the most powerful benders they knew and remained to be mentally unstable in the eyes of the community at large. But with the cuffs hidden by the long sleeves of an outfit that Toph had provided her with and the company of the police chief, how could anyone really say otherwise?

More surprisingly was the fact that Azula seemed to be behaving herself despite all expectations to the contrary. Suspecting it had more to do with her wonder at all the things she'd missed out on while in captivity and how much the world had changed in such a short amount of time rather than a turnabout in her personality, Toph humored the girl and wandered with her through the streets of Republic City.

It was strange not to be the one at the centre of attention, thought Azula, who was more than used to people stopping where they were and dropping all their goods just to bow before her. Now it was like she didn't even exist. People recognized their chief, but didn't even give so much as a sidelong look at the girl with her. She wasn't quite sure whether that was good or bad just yet, but Azula decided to pay the issue no mind while she explored the wonders of this new world order.

When the Gaang finally found out about their little adventures through a mutual contact they had been understandably appalled that Toph was even choosing to associate with her. Zuko especially had given her a dressing down as she stood there quietly and took it all in.

"You're her brother. But you don't know her at all." She had finally spoken up when they had run out of steam. "And what has she actually done that deserves being locked up in _prison_, anyway? She should have been put in a hospital where she actually stood a chance of getting better. She can't do that down in that cell."

That response had garnered a little uproar, but Toph waved it off.

"She tried to kill Aang!"

"Key word being _tried_, Sugar Queen. Besides, it was during a war. Azula observed the rules of combat and was going after a target that had been legitimately designated by the Fire Lord at the time, just like we did when we went after Ozai. Besides, I have the sneaking suspicion that she was off her rocker a long time before we got on the scene. Or she was at least heading that way."

A visit to a somewhat more subdued Ty Lee only confirmed that fact, and the earth bender was allowed to continue taking Azula for her thrice weekly walks.

Toph chose to ignore the way the acrobat's fluttering heart sped up at the mere mention of the Princess.

* * *

**18. Homeward Bound**

Sometimes there was nothing more that Toph liked to do than go home from work in the middle of the day and take a nap. Lin was usually either at school or one of the Gaang was babysitting her, which meant that for once she had the house to herself for an hour or two during her lunch break. Not that she particularly liked being inside. She'd only gotten the house when she had learned she was pregnant.

That fact alone had taken several months to accept, given the circumstances surrounding her conception, but in time Toph had grown to love the life growing inside her and wanted only the best for what she was sure would be a little girl. She knew that while it would have been perfectly fine for them to go and live in a cave somewhere out in the wilderness but it would have done absolutely nothing for the girl's social status.

Toph knew firsthand what it was like to not have friends because of being different and was determined not to let her own child go through that existence due to something that could be easily controlled. Bringing friends home to a dirt floor and an equally dirty mother would have been tantamount to social suicide. So Toph made sacrifices for Lin's sake; showering much more often and living in a nice apartment with a stone floor with meaningless trinkets instead of being out and close to the earth where she felt comfortable.

Living in the city with so much hustle and bustle had been a hard adjustment to make, especially at night when she could still feel the vibrations from the other citizens that were not sleeping like the rest of the world. For that reason alone she ended up purchasing a bed instead of sleeping on the floor like she was used to, just so she'd get some silence at night. It always left her confused and blinder than she'd ever been, but it was a secret delight of hers to wake up some mornings to find that her daughter had snuck into her bed sometime during the night and was cuddled up in her arms.

It was a far cry from waking up alone like she was used to, with only cold sheets and a colder pillow on the opposite side of the mattress.

But she couldn't deny that it felt damn good to wake up from her afternoon nap to the sunlight streaming in through the window and the warm body of the Fire Princess curled up next to her.

* * *

**19. Accidentally On Purpose**

Having Azula come home with her to her bed was truly pushing the limits of professional boundaries. Toph figured she probably could get away with it if she had kept her in that cell so they could continue to screw each other senseless if anyone had asked, but inviting her into her home was saying something far more than what she was willing to admit.

Nobody really knew where they wandered to during Azula's little walks. They'd been all over the city and back again so many times that people rarely paid attention if they saw the chief with the strangely pale girl. Even the Gaang had given up on tailing them at a distance just to make sure Toph was safe in her company. It really did make it far too easy for her to smuggle the Princess away and have some uninterrupted time to themselves up against a wall somewhere or swathed in freshly laundered linen sheets.

It became a regular and gradually lengthening occurrence to find Azula in her home, and while it was a secretly welcome presence to the earth bender she knew that the blissful ignorance of everyone around them had to end someday. She was just glad that it happened the way it did.

When Lin burst in through the door after returning from school when it had let out early, she was greeted with the sight of her mother and some strange woman necking on the couch like a couple of teenagers. If Toph had kept her feet on the ground she might have had some kind of warning, but she'd hardly been inclined to do so when there were far better things to keep her attention focused on.

Still, her mother sat up with a bit of a gasp at the door slamming open, hesitant to put her foot down and see just who it was. She knew Lin was the one who had yanked it open like that as she was used to the ruckus, but if anyone else had followed her she was clueless. She was glad to find that nobody had.

"Who are you?" Lin questioned suspiciously, her green eyes narrowing.

"Linny, this is Azula. She's...a princess." Toph finished lamely.

"Hmph. You don't look much like a princess. What are your qualifications?"

The two women actually managed a snort at the young girl's audacity, watching her puff out her little chest and cross her arms.

"Well, she's definitely yours, that's for sure." Azula muttered under her breath.

"Are you one of those princesses that like tea parties and doilies?" Lin accused.

"Ew. No."

"Good. Cos I'd feel bad kicking your butt if you ever mess with my mom like that again. Now come on, Princess Powderpuff. I'm gonna show you what a _real_ earth bender can do." And with that, Lin stormed over and grabbed Azula by the sleeve to try and tug her off the couch and out into the backyard.

Toph let out a guffaw, finally starting to relax at her daughter's easy acceptance of whatever weird relationship she'd gotten into. Azula on the other hand looked a little more disturbed at the kid's behavior, especially since it had reminded her of her own as a child. But with the chief at her side as they stood in the garden, it seemed much easier to finally just loosen up a little. Apparently Lin just wanted to show off; partially as a warning against treating her mother badly, but also just because she _could_.

Still, Azula was hesitant when it was demanded by the child that they join in on the fun. That was until she saw the light of wonder in Lin's eyes when she produced a blue flame in her palms. Then it was the royal's turn to show off.

Toph just stood there with a smile as she felt the two of them trade abilities.

She didn't think it had quite hit the Princess just yet that she was actually _playing_ as she chased the earth bending child around the yard, pretending to attack her. Even more oddly, it seemed like she was doing an alright job at it, based on Lin's laughter and squealing.

Toph was rather loath to interrupt the two.

At least until they ganged up on her and forced her to join in on the fun anyway.

* * *

**20. A New Kind of Ball and Chain**

These days, Azula spent far more time out of prison than she did in it, and she was all the better for it. Lin was always happy to see her new playmate there when she got home from school, and it meant that Toph could have a break even though she technically wasn't supposed to let the fire bender out of her custody.

Pressing a kiss to her daughter's sleeping head that poked out from the blankets between them, Toph just took in the two figures that lit up in her senses each time they took a breath or shifted in their sleep. Even every beat of their hearts was reflected and transmitted through the metal coils of the bed springs; far noisier than the sounds and feelings of the city had ever been. And yet, she couldn't get to sleep without them, she thought with a small smile.

Really, neither one of them should have existed in her life.

But when Lin had started calling Azula Mommy, Toph knew that it was far too late to stop whatever _this_ was.


End file.
